IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v63y2019icp44-56.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Valuing bushfire risk to homeowners: Hedonic property values study in Queensland, Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Athukorala, Wasantha
  • Martin, Wade
  • Wilson, Clevo
  • Rajapaksa, Darshana

Abstract

Bushfires are a common occurrence and are an inevitable natural event in many regions of Australia in most years. Despite the dangers of such bushfires to nearby properties and human life, humans continue to live in close proximity to bushfire prone areas. The pertinent questions asked in this study are whether residents are aware of the dangers of living in such areas- and if so, is it reflected in lower property values? Such residents have the choice of either discounting the risks of bushfires in their neighbourhoods or deciding to pay more to live in bushfire areas for the positive amenity values afforded by forested bushland settings. Buyers paying a premium price to live in close proximity to green space are well documented in hedonic property (HP) values studies. We examine this phenomenon using data available for forested bushfire prone areas in the immediate environs of the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia using an HP values approach. For this study sales data of 1028 houses in four suburbs are used. The regression results clearly show that residents in fact are paying more to be close to green space (forested areas) which is also clearly identified as bushfire prone areas. The threat of bushfires may have an effect on property prices but it is dominated by the desire to live close to green spaces.

Suggested Citation

  • Athukorala, Wasantha & Martin, Wade & Wilson, Clevo & Rajapaksa, Darshana, 2019. "Valuing bushfire risk to homeowners: Hedonic property values study in Queensland, Australia," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 44-56.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:63:y:2019:i:c:p:44-56
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2019.04.013
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592619300748
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2019.04.013?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Geoffrey H. Donovan & Patricia A. Champ & David T. Butry, 2007. "Wildfire Risk and Housing Prices: A Case Study from Colorado Springs," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 83(2), pages 217-233.
    2. Lynne Y. Lewis & Curtis Bohlen & Sarah Wilson, 2008. "Dams, Dam Removal, And River Restoration: A Hedonic Property Value Analysis," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 26(2), pages 175-186, April.
    3. Kelejian, Harry H. & Prucha, Ingmar R., 2010. "Specification and estimation of spatial autoregressive models with autoregressive and heteroskedastic disturbances," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 157(1), pages 53-67, July.
    4. Ambrey, Christopher L. & Fleming, Christopher M. & Manning, Matthew, 2016. "The hedonistic cost of the Black Saturday bushfires," 2016 Conference (60th), February 2-5, 2016, Canberra, Australia 235304, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    5. Mei, Yingdan & Hite, Diane & Sohngen, Brent, 2017. "Demand for urban tree cover: A two-stage hedonic price analysis in California," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 29-35.
    6. Halvorsen, Robert & Pollakowski, Henry O., 1981. "Choice of functional form for hedonic price equations," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 37-49, July.
    7. Ambrey, Christopher L. & Fleming, Christopher M. & Manning, Matthew, 2016. "The hedonistic cost of the Black Saturday bushfires," 2016 Conference (60th), February 2-5, 2016, Canberra, Australia 235236, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    8. Daniel A. Griffith & David W. S. Wong & Thomas Whitfield, 2003. "Exploring Relationships Between the Global and Regional Measures of Spatial Autocorrelation," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 683-710, November.
    9. Rosen, Sherwin, 1974. "Hedonic Prices and Implicit Markets: Product Differentiation in Pure Competition," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 34-55, Jan.-Feb..
    10. Bennetton, Julia & Cashin, Paul & Jones, Darren & Soligo, James, 1998. "An economic evaluation of bushfire prevention and suppression," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 42(2), pages 1-27.
    11. Wasantha Athukorala & Wade Martin & Prasad Neelawala & Darshana Rajapaksa & Clevo Wilson, 2016. "Impact Of Wildfires And Floods On Property Values: A Before And After Analysis," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 61(01), pages 1-23, March.
    12. Derek T. O'Donnell & Tyron J. Venn & David E. Calkin, 2014. "Are wildfire management resources in the United States efficiently allocated to protect resources at risk? A case study from Montana," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 318-332.
    13. Freeman, A Myrick, III, 1979. " Hedonic Prices, Property Values and Measuring Environmental Benefits: A Survey of the Issues," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 81(2), pages 154-173.
    14. Du, Xuejun & Huang, Zhonghua, 2018. "Spatial and temporal effects of urban wetlands on housing prices: Evidence from Hangzhou, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 290-298.
    15. Craig E. Landry & Paul Hindsley, 2011. "Valuing Beach Quality with Hedonic Property Models," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 87(1), pages 92-108.
    16. Lene Lottrup & Ulrika K. Stigsdotter & Henrik Meilby & Anne Grete Claudi, 2015. "The Workplace Window View: A Determinant of Office Workers' Work Ability and Job Satisfaction," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 57-75, January.
    17. Cropper, Maureen L & Deck, Leland B & McConnell, Kenneth E, 1988. "On the Choice of Functional Form for Hedonic Price Functions," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 70(4), pages 668-675, November.
    18. Wasantha Athukorala & Wade Martin & Prasad Neelawala & Darshana Rajapaksa & Jeremy Webb & Clevo Wilson, 2018. "Impact Of Natural Disasters On Residential Property Values: Evidence From Australia," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Suman Kumari Sharma & Euston Quah (ed.), Economics of Natural Disasters, chapter 6, pages 147-179, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    19. Cassel, Eric & Mendelsohn, Robert, 1985. "The choice of functional forms for hedonic price equations: Comment," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 135-142, September.
    20. Serim Huh & Seung-Jun Kwak, 1997. "The Choice of Functional Form and Variables in the Hedonic Price Model in Seoul," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 34(7), pages 989-998, June.
    21. Germán M. Izón & Michael S. Hand & Matias Fontenla & Robert P. Berrens, 2010. "The Economic Value Of Protecting Inventoried Roadless Areas: A Spatial Hedonic Price Study In New Mexico," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 28(4), pages 537-553, October.
    22. Tyrvainen, Liisa & Miettinen, Antti, 2000. "Property Prices and Urban Forest Amenities," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 205-223, March.
    23. Bin, Okmyung & Landry, Craig E., 2013. "Changes in implicit flood risk premiums: Empirical evidence from the housing market," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(3), pages 361-376.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David Boto-García & Veronica Leoni, 2022. "The hedonic value of coastal amenities in peer-to-peer markets," DEA Working Papers 94, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Departament d'Economía Aplicada.
    2. David Boto-García & Veronica Leoni, 2023. "The Economic Value of Coastal Amenities: Evidence from Beach Capitalization Effects in Peer-to-Peer Markets," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(2), pages 529-557, February.
    3. Rajapaksa, Darshana & Gono, Marcel & Wilson, Clevo & Managi, Shunsuke & Lee, Boon & Hoang, Viet-Ngu, 2020. "The demand for education: The impacts of good schools on property values in Brisbane, Australia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    4. George Halkos & Antonis Skouloudis & Chrisovalantis Malesios & Nikoleta Jones, 2020. "A Hierarchical Multilevel Approach in Assessing Factors Explaining Country-Level Climate Change Vulnerability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wasantha Athukorala & Wade Martin & Prasad Neelawala & Darshana Rajapaksa & Clevo Wilson, 2016. "Impact Of Wildfires And Floods On Property Values: A Before And After Analysis," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 61(01), pages 1-23, March.
    2. Prasad Neelawala & Clevo Wilson & Wasantha Athukorala, 2013. "The impact of mining and smelting activities on property values: a study of Mount Isa city, Queensland, Australia," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 57(1), pages 60-78, January.
    3. Hein, Walter & Wilson, Clevo & Lee, Boon & Rajapaksa, Darshana & de Moel, Hans & Athukorala, Wasantha & Managi, Shunsuke, 2019. "Climate change and natural disasters: Government mitigation activities and public property demand response," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 436-443.
    4. Tyrvainen, Liisa & Miettinen, Antti, 2000. "Property Prices and Urban Forest Amenities," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 205-223, March.
    5. Wisdom Akpalu & Ametefee K. Normanyo, 2016. "Gold mining pollution and the cost of private healthcare: The case of Ghana," WIDER Working Paper Series 121, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Ben Hoen & Jason Brown & Thomas Jackson & Mark Thayer & Ryan Wiser & Peter Cappers, 2015. "Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of US Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 22-51, July.
    7. Kim, Ju-Hee & Lim, Seul-Ye & Yoo, Seung-Hoon, 2023. "Does district heating affect residential property prices? Case study of an urban area in South Korea," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    8. Andrea Baranzini & José V. Ramirez, 2005. "Paying for Quietness: The Impact of Noise on Geneva Rents," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 42(4), pages 633-646, April.
    9. Junsoo Lee & Seung-Jun Kwak & John List, 2000. "Average Derivative Estimation of Hedonic Price Models," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 16(1), pages 81-91, May.
    10. Walsh, Patrick & Griffiths, Charles & Guignet, Dennis & Klemick, Heather, 2017. "Modeling the Property Price Impact of Water Quality in 14 Chesapeake Bay Counties," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 103-113.
    11. Anthony Amoah & Peter G. Moffatt, 2017. "Estimating demand for reliable piped-water services in urban Ghana: An application of competing valuation approaches," University of East Anglia School of Economics Working Paper Series 2017-01, School of Economics, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    12. Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong & Yinger, John, 2011. "The capitalization of school quality into house values: A review," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 30-48, March.
    13. JunJie Wu & Richard M. Adams & Andrew J. Plantinga, 2004. "Amenities in an Urban Equilibrium Model: Residential Development in Portland, Oregon," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 80(1), pages 19-32.
    14. Wieser, Robert, 2009. "Parameterstabilität in hedonischen Bodenpreismodellen [Stability of Parameters in Hedonic Urban Land Price Models]," MPRA Paper 65859, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Sebastian Brandt & Wolfgang Maennig, 2012. "The impact of rail access on condominium prices in Hamburg," Transportation, Springer, vol. 39(5), pages 997-1017, September.
    16. Fabian Waltert & Felix Schlaepfer, 2007. "The role of landscape amenities in regional development: a survey of migration, regional economic and hedonic pricing studies," SOI - Working Papers 0710, Socioeconomic Institute - University of Zurich.
    17. Muriel Travers & Abdelhak Nassiri & Gildas Appéré & François Bonnieux, 2008. "Évaluation des bénéfices environnementaux par la méthode des prix hédonistes : une application au cas du littoral," Economie & Prévision, La Documentation Française, vol. 0(4), pages 47-62.
    18. vom Hofe, Rainer & Mihaescu, Oana & Boorn, Mary Lynne, 2017. "Do urban parks really benefit homeowners economically? Evidence from a spatial hedonic study of the Cincinnati park system," HUI Working Papers 122, HUI Research.
    19. Amélie Mauroux, 2015. "L’information préventive améliore-t-elle la perception des risques? Impact de l’Information Acquéreur Locataire sur le prix des logements," Working Papers 2015.17, FAERE - French Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
    20. Mitchell R. Livy, 2020. "Extreme natural events are associated with significant economic losses and expected to increase in frequency and intensity with time. While previous research has primarily investigated singular event ," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 40(1), pages 665-678.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:63:y:2019:i:c:p:44-56. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.